China is planning to add the education on ethnic unity into the national teaching program for all primary and high schools as well as vocational middle schools, nearly two weeks after the July 5 riot in Xinjiang.

Educational courses on ethnic unity should be included in primary and high school curriculum, and test questions on ethnic unity should account for no less than 15 percent in the politics course, according to a video-conference summary released by the Ministry of Education and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission on Thursday.

The conference on deploying the work of ethnic unity education in primary and high schools called for listing educational courses on ethnic unity into special education projects in primary and high schools nationwide.

The education ministry said the plan of ethnic unity education in schools was not makeshift, but a long-term strategic mission. No detailed date for the plan's implementation was revealed.

Starting from this year, provincial-level education administrative departments should report about its progress on ethnic unity education in local schools in every November, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2009)